Power Steering Failure... On Our Long-Term Laramie Sport

[redriderbob]

Well for those who follow our long-term 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport Crew Cab 4x4 on here at 5thGenRams.com, we had an issue with the electronic power steering failure on two separate occasions within 10 minutes on Monday. As many of you know, besides being the Co-Editor of 5thGenRams, HDRams, and MoparInsiders, I am an automotive spy photographer. So while I was out shooting prototypes testing, I was sitting with the truck running when all of a sudden a message flashed on the TFT screen stating that "Power Steering was Unavailable" and a warning light then popped on.



I put the truck in reverse and tried to turn the steering wheel and it wouldn't hardly budge. Now I have driven several muscle cars without power steering before and you have to muscle them, but I could barely get the wheel to move while moving backward. I shut the truck off, open the driver door and let the truck sit 30-seconds so the "Push Start Button" screen would go out of the TFT screen, then restarted it. The truck started without any issues and power steering came back on.



About 5 minutes later while I was performing a "Michigan turn" on a four-lane road with busy traffic, as I pulled out into the traffic turning the truck's power steering failed again with the same message being displayed. The wheel was almost impossible to move and I went straight across two lanes of traffic when it locked up. I put the emergency flashers on and went through the shutdown procedure again and started it back up and the power steering came on once again.



Luckily, I was only about a mile from the local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram dealer and drove it to it and of course, it didn't have an issue. When I got there the service advisor at Milosch Palace Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram was amazing, hooked the truck up to the scanner and the truck had two codes for the issue in the truck's memory.



I ended up leaving the truck there and one of the technicians took my truck home to see if he could replicate the situation and of course, it wouldn't. Since the codes were up on the system and visually the dealer couldn't find anything wrong, so they are going to replace the steering gear this next week. I have a loaner 2018 Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab 4x4 and man do I miss my truck. But the dealer is working with FCA to get the parts which won't be in until August 5th.



The truck had just hit 20,000 miles and this is the second strange issue we have had with our long-term 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport, the other being that the truck could start without a key (which I have posted on here with a video). The truck has been flawless except for those issues. But have been impressed with the dealer's concern for me and the family with the issue. It was quite scary turning while traffic is coming and you can't turn while halfway into the turn and go straight across multiple lanes of traffic.

We have our 20,000-mile write up coming soon, I'll probably wait until I get the dealer report and the truck back to do it, so stay tuned.

 

[RamCares]

Well for those who follow our long-term 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport Crew Cab 4x4 on here at 5thGenRams.com, we had an issue with the electronic power steering failure on two separate occasions within 10 minutes on Monday. As many of you know, besides being the Co-Editor of 5thGenRams, HDRams, and MoparInsiders, I am an automotive spy photographer. So while I was out shooting prototypes testing, I was sitting with the truck running when all of a sudden a message flashed on the TFT screen stating that "Power Steering was Unavailable" and a warning light then popped on.

I put the truck in reverse and tried to turn the steering wheel and it wouldn't hardly budge. Now I have driven several muscle cars without power steering before and you have to muscle them, but I could barely get the wheel to move while moving backward. I shut the truck off, open the driver door and let the truck sit 30-seconds so the "Push Start Button" screen would go out of the TFT screen, then restarted it. The truck started without any issues and power steering came back on.

About 5 minutes later while I was performing a "Michigan turn" on a four-lane road with busy traffic, as I pulled out into the traffic turning the truck's power steering failed again with the same message being displayed. The wheel was almost impossible to move and I went straight across two lanes of traffic when it locked up. I put the emergency flashers on and went through the shutdown procedure again and started it back up and the power steering came on once again.

Luckily, I was only about a mile from the local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram dealer and drove it to it and of course, it didn't have an issue. When I got there the service advisor at Milosch Palace Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram was amazing, hooked the truck up to the scanner and the truck had two codes for the issue in the truck's memory.

I ended up leaving the truck there and one of the technicians took my truck home to see if he could replicate the situation and of course, it wouldn't. Since the codes were up on the system and visually the dealer couldn't find anything wrong, so they are going to replace the steering gear this next week. I have a loaner 2018 Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab 4x4 and man do I miss my truck. But the dealer is working with FCA to get the parts which won't be in until August 5th.

The truck had just hit 20,000 miles and this is the second strange issue we have had with our long-term 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport, the other being that the truck could start without a key (which I have posted on here with a video). The truck has been flawless except for those issues. But have been impressed with the dealer's concern for me and the family with the issue. It was quite scary turning while traffic is coming and you can't turn while halfway into the turn and go straight across multiple lanes of traffic.

We have our 20,000-mile write up coming soon, I'll probably wait until I get the dealer report and the truck back to do it, so stay tuned.

Hi @redriderbob - While I regret to hear that you are experiencing this concern with the truck, it is great to hear that you are in good hands with the team at your dealer! Should your dealer experience any sort of delay in obtaining the steering gear, or if you are in need of any additional support through the repair process, please do not hesitate to follow up with us via private message. I am more than happy to get a case escalated on your behalf to a specialist who can work alongside both you and the dealer!

Mark
RamCares

 

[drphilwv]

2019 Ram 1500 Limited - purchased yesterday used and this exact issue happened. Diving 70mph on the interstate and the power steering went out and we almost had a serious accident. I went to one dealership who said they were too covered up to see it and the second in my hometown has me on for 2 weeks away. I checked and my VIN does no correspond to the recall on the battery ground-circuit fastener from that model year. There is also recall 19V812000 that can also cause a power steering failure.

Now I've lost power steering before and this is worse than that. The steering wheel would just barely turn and I was able to get it off the interstate without killing us and got it into a gas station parking lot. The little steering wheel exclamation point icon then disappeared and my PS was back. I limped the remainder of the way to an advance auto where a code reader did not pick up any faults. Seems like that would be an important fault to record as it could have killed us. Its also throwing an air-ride error so the local Ram service will have a look at that too.

So 1 day into ownership of a used but $40K pickup and I'm rather unimpressed thus far. Going to make sure I do a YT video about this experience if and when the service center sorts out the problem 2 weeks from now. At least its still under warranty.

Philip C WV

 

[Attorney1985]

Hi @redriderbob - While I regret to hear that you are experiencing this concern with the truck, it is great to hear that you are in good hands with the team at your dealer! Should your dealer experience any sort of delay in obtaining the steering gear, or if you are in need of any additional support through the repair process, please do not hesitate to follow up with us via private message. I am more than happy to get a case escalated on your behalf to a specialist who can work alongside both you and the dealer!

Mark
RamCares

Hi @RamCares, I came across this thread while researching issues I was having on my 2019 dodge ram. Specifically, I have seen electrical issues which have caused the vehicle to not start on multiple times and resulting in the need for the truck to be towed to the dealership. The First time this happened in May of this year, Mopar covered the cost of the tow To get the truck to the dealership. The Dealership was unable to say exactly what happened but they suspected it was a lightning strike That caused the total electronic failure of the computer system. Since the dealership Couldn’t prove this to be the case for sure (lightening strike) Mopar agreed to split the cost of the total repairs with me. I was assured over and over it was an isolated event and the work done on the vehicle and they should fix the problem entirely. Also worth noting it is I paid for that repair in May so there is an element of liability under a warranty on work performed. Basically, if they were not able to properly diagnose it in May or they were not certain that the issue was resolved entirely they should not have told me it was an excepted the money to fix the issue. If anything, once the dealership agreed to “fix” the issue in May (and charge me for that work) they created a scenario where they must continue trouble shooting since the same issues keep reappearing.
The service department improperly diagnosed the issue in May, And has been unsuccessful at attempting to fix the issue no less than four or five additional times.

The dealership has refused any ownership over the problem, even when the truck has to go back in the shop after it just being returned to us. Each time the same issue present itself again the dealership acts as if They are unable to help anymore because, and I quote, they claim “the truck was fine when it left here yesterday.” Their argument fails entirely because they are not considered the fact the underlying issue in this case (substantial electrical issues) will continue to reappear sporadically. No less than four or five times they have identified which sensor is faulty fixed it and claimed the electronic issues are absolutely repaired. I continue to lose faith in this reassurance that my vehicle is back to safe status each time they tell me they’re confident it’s safe and then the issues reappear within days.

To me it seems obvious the issue cannot be replaced by individual sensors and modules but rather is a larger system error that requires a replacement of the entire electrical system or sone other drastic measure.

Lastly, I will mention that the vehicle is currently at the dealership right now. This is because on December 15 after the vehicle had been in the shop from roughly the first until the 14th it was released again to us and promised to be good as new. Worth noting, I split this bill with Mopar and only paid a couple of hundred dollars out of pocket for that repair order. Unfortunately, the vehicle had the most dangerous and detrimental default to date yet on December 15. I was driving the truck in a very busy area around AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There are a lot of crosswalks, pedestrians, traffic, etc in that area. With almost no warning the vehicle began experiencing an electrical storm of issues (Window wipers going, hazards flashing, blinkers going, etc.)

The real kicker was this time the truck’s power steering capacity went out entirely. This has never happened before in the truck. It’s incredibly scary to say the least. This is what I would consider the final straw because it is no longer a mere inconvenience to me but rather a larger safety issue that Dodge should willingly inspect and repair. I would think somebody from Dodge legal/corporate would understand the gravity of this situation and easily step in and fix the solution. I find it rather disheartening that as a company, Dodge, is not apologetic and Willing to bend over backwards to get me out of this dangerous vehicle and into something safe.

I tried to look at this issue merely as the consumer that I am, and not as an attorney. Unfortunately, I have been wholly disappointed and shocked that no one from the Dodge dealership or Mopar has acknowledged the severity of my situation. It is not about having to have the issue fixed. I have been paying this repair orders over and over to have it fixed so at this point I am not arguing but you guys should cover the cost to fix it, per se, because thelarger issue is that YOU ARE UNABLE to fix it and so at that point it becomes your responsibility to make the situation right.

Consider yourself aware of this issue so when and if, God forbid, an accident occurs in the future you’re barred from claiming “you were not aware.”

This is on you, Dodge/Mopar/Etc.—- STEP UP AND MAKE IT RIGHT

The truck was purchased in 2018, from Freedom Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep in Duncanville, Texas. This is the same dealership that has done all of the service work on the vehicle.

 

[TLOC]

Hi @RamCares, I came across this thread while researching issues I was having on my 2019 dodge ram. Specifically, I have seen electrical issues which have caused the vehicle to not start on multiple times and resulting in the need for the truck to be towed to the dealership. The First time this happened in May of this year, Mopar covered the cost of the tow To get the truck to the dealership. The Dealership was unable to say exactly what happened but they suspected it was a lightning strike That caused the total electronic failure of the computer system. Since the dealership Couldn’t prove this to be the case for sure (lightening strike) Mopar agreed to split the cost of the total repairs with me. I was assured over and over it was an isolated event and the work done on the vehicle and they should fix the problem entirely. Also worth noting it is I paid for that repair in May so there is an element of liability under a warranty on work performed. Basically, if they were not able to properly diagnose it in May or they were not certain that the issue was resolved entirely they should not have told me it was an excepted the money to fix the issue. If anything, once the dealership agreed to “fix” the issue in May (and charge me for that work) they created a scenario where they must continue trouble shooting since the same issues keep reappearing.
The service department improperly diagnosed the issue in May, And has been unsuccessful at attempting to fix the issue no less than four or five additional times.

The dealership has refused any ownership over the problem, even when the truck has to go back in the shop after it just being returned to us. Each time the same issue present itself again the dealership acts as if They are unable to help anymore because, and I quote, they claim “the truck was fine when it left here yesterday.” Their argument fails entirely because they are not considered the fact the underlying issue in this case (substantial electrical issues) will continue to reappear sporadically. No less than four or five times they have identified which sensor is faulty fixed it and claimed the electronic issues are absolutely repaired. I continue to lose faith in this reassurance that my vehicle is back to safe status each time they tell me they’re confident it’s safe and then the issues reappear within days.

To me it seems obvious the issue cannot be replaced by individual sensors and modules but rather is a larger system error that requires a replacement of the entire electrical system or sone other drastic measure.

Lastly, I will mention that the vehicle is currently at the dealership right now. This is because on December 15 after the vehicle had been in the shop from roughly the first until the 14th it was released again to us and promised to be good as new. Worth noting, I split this bill with Mopar and only paid a couple of hundred dollars out of pocket for that repair order. Unfortunately, the vehicle had the most dangerous and detrimental default to date yet on December 15. I was driving the truck in a very busy area around AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There are a lot of crosswalks, pedestrians, traffic, etc in that area. With almost no warning the vehicle began experiencing an electrical storm of issues (Window wipers going, hazards flashing, blinkers going, etc.)

The real kicker was this time the truck’s power steering capacity went out entirely. This has never happened before in the truck. It’s incredibly scary to say the least. This is what I would consider the final straw because it is no longer a mere inconvenience to me but rather a larger safety issue that Dodge should willingly inspect and repair. I would think somebody from Dodge legal/corporate would understand the gravity of this situation and easily step in and fix the solution. I find it rather disheartening that as a company, Dodge, is not apologetic and Willing to bend over backwards to get me out of this dangerous vehicle and into something safe.

I tried to look at this issue merely as the consumer that I am, and not as an attorney. Unfortunately, I have been wholly disappointed and shocked that no one from the Dodge dealership or Mopar has acknowledged the severity of my situation. It is not about having to have the issue fixed. I have been paying this repair orders over and over to have it fixed so at this point I am not arguing but you guys should cover the cost to fix it, per se, because thelarger issue is that YOU ARE UNABLE to fix it and so at that point it becomes your responsibility to make the situation right.

Consider yourself aware of this issue so when and if, God forbid, an accident occurs in the future you’re barred from claiming “you were not aware.”

This is on you, Dodge/Mopar/Etc.—- STEP UP AND MAKE IT RIGHT

The truck was purchased in 2018, from Freedom Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep in Duncanville, Texas. This is the same dealership that has done all of the service work on after this very

Hi @RamCares, I came across this thread while researching issues I was having on my 2019 dodge ram. Specifically, I have seen electrical issues which have caused the vehicle to not start on multiple times and resulting in the need for the truck to be towed to the dealership. The First time this happened in May of this year, Mopar covered the cost of the tow To get the truck to the dealership. The Dealership was unable to say exactly what happened but they suspected it was a lightning strike That caused the total electronic failure of the computer system. Since the dealership Couldn’t prove this to be the case for sure (lightening strike) Mopar agreed to split the cost of the total repairs with me. I was assured over and over it was an isolated event and the work done on the vehicle and they should fix the problem entirely. Also worth noting it is I paid for that repair in May so there is an element of liability under a warranty on work performed. Basically, if they were not able to properly diagnose it in May or they were not certain that the issue was resolved entirely they should not have told me it was an excepted the money to fix the issue. If anything, once the dealership agreed to “fix” the issue in May (and charge me for that work) they created a scenario where they must continue trouble shooting since the same issues keep reappearing.
The service department improperly diagnosed the issue in May, And has been unsuccessful at attempting to fix the issue no less than four or five additional times.

The dealership has refused any ownership over the problem, even when the truck has to go back in the shop after it just being returned to us. Each time the same issue present itself again the dealership acts as if They are unable to help anymore because, and I quote, they claim “the truck was fine when it left here yesterday.” Their argument fails entirely because they are not considered the fact the underlying issue in this case (substantial electrical issues) will continue to reappear sporadically. No less than four or five times they have identified which sensor is faulty fixed it and claimed the electronic issues are absolutely repaired. I continue to lose faith in this reassurance that my vehicle is back to safe status each time they tell me they’re confident it’s safe and then the issues reappear within days.

To me it seems obvious the issue cannot be replaced by individual sensors and modules but rather is a larger system error that requires a replacement of the entire electrical system or sone other drastic measure.

Lastly, I will mention that the vehicle is currently at the dealership right now. This is because on December 15 after the vehicle had been in the shop from roughly the first until the 14th it was released again to us and promised to be good as new. Worth noting, I split this bill with Mopar and only paid a couple of hundred dollars out of pocket for that repair order. Unfortunately, the vehicle had the most dangerous and detrimental default to date yet on December 15. I was driving the truck in a very busy area around AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There are a lot of crosswalks, pedestrians, traffic, etc in that area. With almost no warning the vehicle began experiencing an electrical storm of issues (Window wipers going, hazards flashing, blinkers going, etc.)

The real kicker was this time the truck’s power steering capacity went out entirely. This has never happened before in the truck. It’s incredibly scary to say the least. This is what I would consider the final straw because it is no longer a mere inconvenience to me but rather a larger safety issue that Dodge should willingly inspect and repair. I would think somebody from Dodge legal/corporate would understand the gravity of this situation and easily step in and fix the solution. I find it rather disheartening that as a company, Dodge, is not apologetic and Willing to bend over backwards to get me out of this dangerous vehicle and into something safe.

I tried to look at this issue merely as the consumer that I am, and not as an attorney. Unfortunately, I have been wholly disappointed and shocked that no one from the Dodge dealership or Mopar has acknowledged the severity of my situation. It is not about having to have the issue fixed. I have been paying this repair orders over and over to have it fixed so at this point I am not arguing but you guys should cover the cost to fix it, per se, because thelarger issue is that YOU ARE UNABLE to fix it and so at that point it becomes your responsibility to make the situation right.

Consider yourself aware of this issue so when and if, God forbid, an accident occurs in the future you’re barred from claiming “you were not aware.”

This is on you, Dodge/Mopar/Etc.—- STEP UP AND MAKE IT RIGHT

The truck was purchased in 2018, from Freedom Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep in Duncanville, Texas. This is the same dealership that has done all of the service work on the vehicle.

And it ABSOLUTELY blows my mind after this incredible write up of a potential Serious and DEADLY and safety concern, NOT A PEEP from RAMCARES (or do they) nor FCA corp...makes me seriously consider trading my beloved Laramie in for the Denali I've always wanted...

 

[RamCares]

Hi @RamCares, I came across this thread while researching issues I was having on my 2019 dodge ram. Specifically, I have seen electrical issues which have caused the vehicle to not start on multiple times and resulting in the need for the truck to be towed to the dealership. The First time this happened in May of this year, Mopar covered the cost of the tow To get the truck to the dealership. The Dealership was unable to say exactly what happened but they suspected it was a lightning strike That caused the total electronic failure of the computer system. Since the dealership Couldn’t prove this to be the case for sure (lightening strike) Mopar agreed to split the cost of the total repairs with me. I was assured over and over it was an isolated event and the work done on the vehicle and they should fix the problem entirely. Also worth noting it is I paid for that repair in May so there is an element of liability under a warranty on work performed. Basically, if they were not able to properly diagnose it in May or they were not certain that the issue was resolved entirely they should not have told me it was an excepted the money to fix the issue. If anything, once the dealership agreed to “fix” the issue in May (and charge me for that work) they created a scenario where they must continue trouble shooting since the same issues keep reappearing.
The service department improperly diagnosed the issue in May, And has been unsuccessful at attempting to fix the issue no less than four or five additional times.

The dealership has refused any ownership over the problem, even when the truck has to go back in the shop after it just being returned to us. Each time the same issue present itself again the dealership acts as if They are unable to help anymore because, and I quote, they claim “the truck was fine when it left here yesterday.” Their argument fails entirely because they are not considered the fact the underlying issue in this case (substantial electrical issues) will continue to reappear sporadically. No less than four or five times they have identified which sensor is faulty fixed it and claimed the electronic issues are absolutely repaired. I continue to lose faith in this reassurance that my vehicle is back to safe status each time they tell me they’re confident it’s safe and then the issues reappear within days.

To me it seems obvious the issue cannot be replaced by individual sensors and modules but rather is a larger system error that requires a replacement of the entire electrical system or sone other drastic measure.

Lastly, I will mention that the vehicle is currently at the dealership right now. This is because on December 15 after the vehicle had been in the shop from roughly the first until the 14th it was released again to us and promised to be good as new. Worth noting, I split this bill with Mopar and only paid a couple of hundred dollars out of pocket for that repair order. Unfortunately, the vehicle had the most dangerous and detrimental default to date yet on December 15. I was driving the truck in a very busy area around AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There are a lot of crosswalks, pedestrians, traffic, etc in that area. With almost no warning the vehicle began experiencing an electrical storm of issues (Window wipers going, hazards flashing, blinkers going, etc.)

The real kicker was this time the truck’s power steering capacity went out entirely. This has never happened before in the truck. It’s incredibly scary to say the least. This is what I would consider the final straw because it is no longer a mere inconvenience to me but rather a larger safety issue that Dodge should willingly inspect and repair. I would think somebody from Dodge legal/corporate would understand the gravity of this situation and easily step in and fix the solution. I find it rather disheartening that as a company, Dodge, is not apologetic and Willing to bend over backwards to get me out of this dangerous vehicle and into something safe.

I tried to look at this issue merely as the consumer that I am, and not as an attorney. Unfortunately, I have been wholly disappointed and shocked that no one from the Dodge dealership or Mopar has acknowledged the severity of my situation. It is not about having to have the issue fixed. I have been paying this repair orders over and over to have it fixed so at this point I am not arguing but you guys should cover the cost to fix it, per se, because thelarger issue is that YOU ARE UNABLE to fix it and so at that point it becomes your responsibility to make the situation right.

Consider yourself aware of this issue so when and if, God forbid, an accident occurs in the future you’re barred from claiming “you were not aware.”

This is on you, Dodge/Mopar/Etc.—- STEP UP AND MAKE IT RIGHT

The truck was purchased in 2018, from Freedom Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep in Duncanville, Texas. This is the same dealership that has done all of the service work on the vehicle.

Hello there @Attorney1985, thank you for bringing this to our attention here. We certainly understand the severity of your concerns, and we would like to do all that we can in order to resolve this for you. Please begin by sending our team a private message with your VIN so that we can determine how to best assist you at this point, thank you.

Kathryn
RamCares